Page 53

Nigel shrugged when I tossed him a very confused, somewhat frightened glance. “I don’t have control over that one, sorry. She does what she wants.”

I already liked her.

“Says the alpha,” I teased.

Nigel chuckled lightly. “I’m not that kind of alpha. They’re free to do whatever they want.”

“Defeats the purpose of naming an alpha, if you ask me,” Phillip cut in.

Nigel’s eyes narrowed. “No one asked you.”

“Both of you need to take a serious chill pill,” Tiff complained, then went on talking to me like no one else was there.

She reminded me oddly of my schoolmate, Kate, and it was difficult not to smile to myself as she chattered on about how annoyed she was Nigel never let her meet me, and how he was a “stupid wolf” for letting me go. Then she pleaded with me to at least be friends with her because Mia—apparently not as eager to introduce herself—wasn’t interested in shopping.

I mean, neither was I, but it felt rude to say so to a girl I just met. Plus, I didn’t get much of a chance when she didn’t breathe at any stage in her monologue.

It went from funny to awkward, back to funny as her overshare of a speech outright silenced the other four around her.

Something told me it was an everyday occurrence.

Mia, whose style was what others might call emo or goth, stood silently at the back with her eyes never wandering away from mine. The weight of her glare would frighten even the most powerful dark creatures. If a stare could kill a person, it wasn’t a far reach to say hers would.

Mia’s complexion was darker than Tiff and Topher’s, but definitely lighter than Claude and Nigel’s. And her piercing gold-brown eyes beamed from a circle of black eyeliner.

She and Phillip could definitely talk dark and gloomy eyeliner application later.

Beautiful didn’t seem the right word to use. Her look was darkness incarnate and a beauty that went beyond conventional standards. She struck me more as the main villain mistress in a horror film, whose beauty sent unsuspecting men to their graves. And I was beyond jealous.

Must become her protégé and learn her dark ways.

She wasn’t built tiny like Tiff or I. Instead, she sported defined muscles under black clothes, and I internally wondered if she hated me as much as Topher did. She didn’t say anything. She stayed quiet even when Tiff complained about her, and I was drawn to her silent gaze for nearly a minute before Tiff’s groan of defeat stole my attention.

Phillip was on his phone, exasperated by the looks of it. “We’ll be lucky to dodge out of here in the next hour,” he grumbled, and I laughed against my better judgment.

“What, can’t handle the chatty type?”

Phillip’s expression said it all. “I much prefer your cheeky sporadic outbursts over someone who steams on without anyone encouraging them.”

Tiff was still talking as I crossed my arms and eyed my partner with an impish grin. “I’m almost flattered.”

Nigel watched our exchange, smile fading. “Tiff, you’re rambling.”

“I’m just excited is all, my dude.” Tiff clicked her tongue and threw an arm around Topher, who only glared at me. “Buddy, you really need to stop scaring all my potential friends.”

Topher, who hadn’t said anything since we arrived, scoffed. “Friend? More like a devastator of hearts.”

Tiff grinned a little, eyeing me for a second. “This big stoic wolf is actually a huge softy. And my little bro, believe it or not.” She patted the grumbling wolf on the head.

Little bro? Hadn’t seen that one coming.

“Always super protective of your most favorite buddy in this group, Nigel, hmm?” Tiff added patronizingly.

Grey-blue eyes the color of dark silver never strayed from mine. “You can’t trust Hunters.”

Tiff sighed melodramatically. “One bad experience with a Hunter and you turn against the entire group of them? Really?”

Tiff spirited over to my side, holding my face between her hands and addressing the other Shifter with scorn. “Look at this sweet face. I’m sure she has her reasons for why she couldn’t be with Nigel. Even if she didn’t, it’s none of your business what a woman decides for herself.” My face was released with another dramatic sigh. “What, a girl can’t change her mind?”